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Saturday, April 30, 2016

What's In A Name? - A Guest Post by William Eleazer

This month, Fabulous Florida Writers is pleased to welcome guest blogger William Eleazer. William, an attorney and former law professor, is the author of three legal thrillers set in Savannah Georgia. He was our featured writer on September 5, 2014.

I think Roy
Peter Clark says it well in his book, Writing
Tools. 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer. He puts it this way:

“What’s in a name? For the attentive
writer, and the eager reader, the answer can be fun, insight, charm, aura,
character, identity, psychosis, fulfillment, inheritance, decorum,
indiscretion, and possession.”

Most successful novels have unforgettable
characters.The strength and morals of
the characters—or lack thereof—are the heart and soul of the novel. Have you
ever wondered just how much of a part, if any, the
names we choose for our characters play in the novel’s success? No doubt Gone with the Wind would have been
successful without naming the main characters Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler,
but I think those names were perfect and perhaps even a contributing factor to
the novel’s success. It has been reported that during the early drafts of the
novel, the author, Margaret Mitchell, referred to Scarlett as “Pansy” and it
wasn’t until it was ready for print that “Scarlett” was substituted. Can you
imagine the movie with Vivian Lee, the English actress selected from the 1400
who were interviewed for the role of Scarlett, playing it as “Pansy?”I can’t either.

I don’t recall using any specific
methodology when selecting the names for Savannah
Law. For most characters, I used the names of friends and relatives. (A
great marketing tool!) This included the names of all the members of my Friday
night poker club. Of course, if the character was evil, deceitful, or weak, I
was careful to choose a generic name, one far from any friend or relative. It’s
almost impossible to come up with a name that no one in the entire country has,
but because my novel’s locale was Savannah, Georgia, for names of the evil
characters I checked the internet for anyone in Savannah with that name. Two of
the novel’s characters were the sons of a World War II immigrant couple from
Estonia, Jaan and Ingrid Terras, who had settled in Springfield, Georgia, a
small town near Savannah. And it was here that I made a writing mistake that I
still regret.

I needed two Estonian male first names.
Neither would be the main character, but both would be major characters. After
substantial research to ensure authenticity (which included correspondence with
the Estonian Embassy in Washington), I named these two characters “Jaak” and
“Juri.” In the novel, I explained that “Jaak” was pronounced YA-ak, and that
the Estonian pronunciation of Juri was YER-ee. Bad decision on names! If you are
a writer and still reading this, take this to the bank and learn from my
mistake: NEVER use names that are hard to pronounce. Several readers have
called this to my attention. Sure, the reader is not vocally pronouncing the
name, but the mind is, and it’s disconcerting to come to an unfamiliar name
that is difficult to pronounce. It simply stops the ease of reading and is
unnecessary. For name authenticity, there were dozens of Estonian male names I
could have chosen that are the same as our own and easy to pronounce.

In my second novel, The Indictments, which was a sequel to Savannah Law, I made another mistake in naming characters. In Savannah Law, I had introduced Jennifer
Stone as the girlfriend of the protagonist, Scott Marino. Jennifer, like Scott,
was a law student. She was smart, beautiful, and honest. In The Indictments, I brought in Jessica
Valdez, who was also smart and beautiful—but evil. Jessica also sought a
relationship with Scott, bringing her into conflict with Jennifer. And the
mistake here was in the two first names. Several of my readers informed me that
they had difficulty keeping the character names apart, and after reflecting on
it, I agree. Both names are common names, but both begin with “J” and both
consist of three syllables. Would have been much better with “Claudette” or
“Zelma” Valdez. Subtle difference, yes, but from the reader’s viewpoint,
important. In selecting character names, the devil is in the details.

Let
me end on a positive note— the selection of a good character name. In each of my
novels, Scott Marino is the protagonist. I don’t know how I came up with that
name, but I like it. Easy to pronounce and, at least to me, sounds like action,
strength, courage. Not sure of why, but
maybe I associate it with Dan Marino, the great Miami Dolphins quarterback who
was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame just a few years before my first
novel. In any case, don’t you think “Scott Marino” reads much better than
“Wilbert Peevey?” (My apologies to all the “Wilberts” out there!)

JACQUELINE

Based on a true story, "Jacqueline" is a tale of family, faith, unusual friendships, and the resiliency of the human spirit set against the backdrop of occupied Rennes in 1944. With the drama of fiction and the authenticity of personal history, "Jacqueline" is both a story about family and a family's story.

PROJECT JUNE BUG

Take an intimate peek behind the faculty room door and an unforgettable journey into the world of ADHD

About Me

I'm currently a columnist for The Island Reporter, a publication serving the South Gulf Beaches in St. Petersburg, Florida. My Florida Authors series features articles based on exclusive interviews with some of the state’s best writers. My “Pride & Joy” column
profiles individuals who give back to their communities through volunteerism.
I'm also the author of two novels."Project June Bug" is the story of a young teacher’s efforts to help a student with ADHD. It has received 12 awards, including Premier Book Awards “2009 Book of the Year.” My latest novel, "Jacqueline,"(published by Anaiah Press) is a middle grade historical based on an experience my dad, a WWII veteran, had while stationed in France shortly after D-day. Four of my stories have appeared in "Chicken Soup for the Soul" editions.
I live on Treasure Island (yes, it's as beautiful as it sounds), with my husband and two rather noisy macaws. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, walking on the beach, and visiting family in New Jersey, where I'm the proud "Grammy" of six beautiful grandchildren (with the pictures to prove it!)